blurring the line
blurring the line presents works by David Fought, Wendy Hough, Sandra Ono and Robert Ortbal. Curated by Lauren Davies, Kala’s Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs, this group exhibition at Kala Gallery investigates elusive experiences relating to visual perception and bodily senses. Drawings and sculpture created by repetitive physical actions and the complex massing of odd materials share the gallery with works consisting of simple lines that lead us directly from here to there. The linear qualities of sculpture and the sculptural possibilities of drawing are realized in this four-person exhibition with works ranging from the sparsely elegant to the obsessively quirky.
David Fought creates sculpture that focuses the viewer’s attention on how objects are perceived and understood. Employing simple materials such as wire, paint, shadow and plaster, David’s work explores the elemental adage: line + shadow = mass. Inserting sturdy, heavy gauge wire into the wall, the protruding wires are formed into three-dimensional geometric shapes that are illuminated in a manner that casts crisp linear shadows on the wall. A visual interplay between object and shadow create “drawings” on the wall that are in fact shadows. Or are the shadows actually paint? Or is the wire object actually a shadow? Issues of perception are imaginatively explored in his sparse yet elegant works. David Fought’s work has been presented at ampersand international arts, Mills College Art Museum and Rosenthal Gallery in San Francisco.
Wendy Hough’s large-scale chalk wall drawings explore the sculptural possibilities of drawing. Meditatively drawing one long line after another, the overall effect is that of a progressive rendering of a compressed digital image on a grand scale. Even at such a large-scale, the chalk drawings retain a hand-crafted quality that also serve as a performance-like record of their own creation. Originally from Canada, Wendy presented her work this fall at The Banff Centre in Alberta. Her work was included in Wall Drawings presented earlier this year at Hosfelt Gallery in San Francisco.
Sandra Ono creates sculptures that appear as mutated corporeal forms rooted in a long fascination with cellular structures and scientific renderings. Oddly, these organic forms are created from mass-produced consumer goods such as ear-plugs, cotton swabs, black latex balloons and tin foil. Working with repetitive gestures, Sandra amasses biomorphic forms from materials that are methodically built up cell by cell. This material-based process also becomes a physical documentation of time and activity. Sandra’s work has been presented at Mills College Art Museum, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art and the di Rosa Preserve. She was the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation award in 2010.
Robert Ortbal makes objects and installations that explore spaces that often exist beyond our perceptual abilities. Imaginatively utilizing everyday materials that could come from the Home Depot or a kitchen drawer, the work surprisingly looks as if it could have been cultivated in a Petri dish or plucked from the floor of the ocean. Robert’s work invokes the natural world without resorting to naturalism or realism while channeling a witty and quirky artificiality. His work has been presented at The Oakland Museum, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Notre Dame de Namur University and Hosfelt, Jay-Jay and Traywick galleries. Robert was the recipient of a Eureka-Fleishhacker Foundation Fellowship award.
Please join us for an Artists’ Talk in the gallery with the four artists and curator on Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 pm. The talk is open to the public and is free of charge.
In addition to exhibitions in the Kala Gallery, On View: New Work from Kala will continuously feature works on paper by artists affiliated with Kala Art Institute. A diverse selection of works available for purchase can be seen throughout our new facility including the Mercy & Roger Smullen Print and Media Study Center.